Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37946155›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2023

Social-ecological factors influencing loneliness and social isolation in older people: a scoping review.

Drew Eleanor Meehan, Anne Grunseit, Jenna Condie, Neta HaGani, Dafna Merom

Open access · goldAbstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
13.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Loneliness is correlated with cancer mortality in US counties: an ecological analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  5. Loneliness trajectories surrounding mobility loss: the role of disability duration.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026
    Article
  6. A socioecological framework for physician advocacy: motivators, enablers, and barriers.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2026
    Article
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  18. Multidimensional determinants of active and healthy aging trajectories: a position paper from the Age-It Research Program.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Drew Eleanor MeehanSchool of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia. d.meehan2@westernsydney.edu.au.ORCID 0000-0003-4768-0122
Anne GrunseitSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1250-3265
Jenna CondieSchool of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University, Paramatta, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0811-0517
Neta HaGaniPrevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5442-1025
Dafna MeromSchool of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6459-8628
Camden and Campbelltown Hospitals · AUThe University of Sydney · AUUniversity of Technology Sydney · AUWestern Sydney University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There are growing calls from researchers and policy makers to redefine loneliness and social isolation (SI) as public health issues, and to move towards a transdisciplinary, systems-based approach, due to their association with significant health risks, particularly in older people. Research about loneliness and SI in older people has typically adopted a narrow focus, evaluating effects of individual and inter-personal factors on these experiences. Less is known about the community and societal influences that may be used to inform public health interventions. We conducted a scoping review applying Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the social-ecological model framework in order to: i) identify the available evidence for the influence of the community and societal factors on loneliness and SI as experienced by older people; ii) examine how quantitative research about community- and societal-level factors of loneliness and SI in the older population is conducted; and iii) identify current knowledge gaps in relation to the use of the social-ecological model in this area. A total of 52 articles from 30 countries met the inclusion criteria, including 33 observational studies, primarily cross-sectional (88%), and 19 interventions, mostly (89%) pre-post evaluations. The majority of included articles measured loneliness only (n = 34, 65%), while 11 measured both loneliness and SI (21%). To measure these outcomes validated scales were frequently used. Eighteen community/societal factors were investigated in relation to loneliness and/or SI, most commonly neighbourhood safety, access to public third-places and cultural practices. Three societal-level interventions were found: two campaigns to reduce ageism and one which explored the impact of free public transport. Community-based interventions were either educational or enlisted volunteers to foster connections. There is a need for longitudinal studies to better understand the mechanisms through which community- and societal- level factors affect loneliness and SI, which in turn will guide interventions that utilise the social-ecological framework for these issues.

Indexed as

LonelinessSocial IsolationAgedCross-Sectional StudiesHumansSocial EnvironmentAgeingCommunityLonelinessScoping reviewSocial-ecological modelSocial isolationSocietal

Identifiers

PMID37946155
PMCPMC10636946
OpenAlexW4388527845

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.